Forget Silicon Valley and Silicon Roundabout: Birmingham’s Silicon Canal is the future of the UK’s technology sector July 23, 2015 For years now we've been told that London could rival the Silicon Valley with its own tech hub. But five years after launching my business, I’m a bigger advocate for Birmingham's Silicon Canal than I have ever been. There is an incredible talent pool in Birmingham that offers a wealth of brilliant software engineers. These [...]
Which countries eat the most ice cream in the world? Here’s the scoop July 23, 2015 Things are changing in the delicious world of ice cream. The Chinese are warming up to the icy delights of the classic treat and have just stolen the crown from the US as the biggest consumers of the treat in the world, licking up more than 5.9m litres of the stuff in 2014. The change [...]
Chipotle’s profits now a sizzling $140m July 22, 2015 Chipotle Mexican Grill has said its quarterly profit beat estimates, despite reporting lower-than-expected sales at its established restaurants. Its net income rose to $140.2m (£90m) from $110.3m a year earlier. Revenue rose 14.1 per cent to $1.2bn.
What should investors make of the first equity crowdfunding exit? July 22, 2015 Harriet Green asks what equity crowdfunded firm E-Car Club’s buyout means for the growing sector If you're putting money into equity crowdfunding, the first question at the front of your mind is “will I get a return on my investment?” – and then “will it be decent?”. Last year, equity crowdfunding in the UK [...]
Tesco’s Harris + Hoole coffee shops lose founders and bosses Nick, Andrew and Laura Tolley July 22, 2015 The founders and bosses of Harris + Hoole, the coffee shop chain part-owned by Tesco, are leaving the company amid the supermarket's asset sell off. The sibling founders Nick Tolley, Andrew Tolley and Laura Tolley, who are chief executive, coffee director and chief design officer respectively will depart next month, Retail Week reports, retaining their [...]
Restaurant review: Be prepared to shell out for Crab Tavern July 21, 2015 Crab Tavern is the tenth restaurant to open at the City’s newest dining destination, Broadgate Circle. It’s now overflowing with the kind of high-end, high-turnover gastro-chains that private equity guys go nuts for: opening branches in the City completes a perfect capitalist ouroboros in which we can literally get rich off of our own appetites. [...]
London in the Sky: Have a Michelin-starred dinner while dangling 25 metres above St Katharine Docks July 21, 2015 Here's a restaurant that takes the concept of a "pop-up" rather literally: tickets have gone on sale for a "dining experience" which gives diners the chance to have a Michelin-starred dinner cooked for them – while dangling 25m above the capital. Those with weak stomachs need not apply… London in the Sky offers breakfast, lunch, [...]
Broadstone: The Dorset town Londoners are moving to in their droves July 21, 2015 When City A.M. asked Homelet to show us where Londoners are moving to when they leave the capital, we expected the commuter belt to feature heavily. What we didn't expect was that the small Dorset town of Broadstone would beat Brentwood, Brighton and Bristol to come top. According to the figures, 4.1 per cent of [...]
Gaucho steak restaurant deal on the table amid flurry of sales in industry July 19, 2015 The Gaucho chain of steak restaurants, popular with hungry City workers, is up for sale. Bankers at Canaccord Genuity have been hired to work on the sale, with private equity firm ICG and Dutch entrepreneur Zeev Godik hoping to raise up to £150m. The industry has been ripe for deals in recent times, with brands [...]
Why London must retain its lead as the world’s number one retail destination July 16, 2015 One thing underpins Britain’s economic recovery more than anything else: the resilience and potential of London’s economy. While the capital’s financial sector was first to feel the pain nearly a decade ago, London has also led the UK’s economic fightback – attracting global investment, growing employment and pushing up living standards. We are the world’s [...]